Des Plaines firefighters to be honored for aiding hurricane victims

Two Des Plaines firefighters will be publicly lauded for their efforts in the hurricane-ravaged Southeast following two recent storms.

Deputy Chief Sam Foster and Lt. Eric Zack were deployed as part of the statewide Mutual Aid Box Alarm System to help people affected by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

Both will receive Humanitarian Awards from the mutual aid organization at the start of Monday’s city council meeting. It’s set for 7 p.m. at city hall, 1420 Miner St.

Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sept. 26 and caused severe damage in that state and others across the southeastern U.S., including Georgia and the Carolinas. It killed more than 200 people and caused billions of dollars in property damage.

Zack was deployed to North Carolina as part of the mutual aid system’s water rescue team, Fire Chief Matt Matzl said. The team left Sept. 25, the day before the storm made landfall, and arrived Sept. 26. Zack’s team rescued hundreds of residents isolated by flooding and then spent more than a week conducting search and recovery operations and handling other tasks, Matzl said.

Zack returned to Illinois on Oct. 10.

Hurricane Milton hit Florida on Oct. 9, causing destruction there, in Georgia and elsewhere. The storm left 35 people dead, and like Helene caused billions in property damage.

Foster was deployed to Florida as the Overhead Strike Team leader for a group of 68 Illinois firefighters from more than 30 organizations. They arrived in Ocala, Florida, on Oct. 10 and worked with units from Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and Alabama, Matzl said.

The team returned to Illinois on Oct. 14.

Monday's meeting is open to the public. You also can watch it live online at desplainesil.gov.